a little video for you now before we go of prince william and kate dancing. they were in an island chain in the south pacific not too far from australia. we've got pictures of kate dancing in a traditional grass skirt, joining in all of the fun. william, he works the arms a little bit there, yes. not too bad. couple on the last leg of the nine-day tour of the region and they made the trip on queen elizabeth's 60 years on the throne. the next hour of "cnn newsroom" starts right now with the lovely poppy harlow. >> good to be with you. thanks, michael. i'm poppy harlow filling in for

suzanne malveaux. we're focusing on mitt romney's comment that almost half of americans are dependent on the government and believe they are, quote, victims. plus, i'll talk to the head of the chicago teachers union on the seventh day of that strike. let's get right to it. the romney campaign does damage control in response to some secretly recorded comments. romney is attending a fund-raising luncheon in salt lake city this hour but it's what he said back if may that is causing big problems, big headaches, for his campaign. romney's heard telling wealthy donors 47% of americans will support the president, president obama, no matter what. this video posted on the liberal leaning website mother jones. >> there are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. all right, there are 47% who are with him, who are depend enupon government who believe that they are victims who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe they are entitled to health

care, to food, to housing, to you name it. that's an entitlement. and the government should give it to them. and they will vote for this president no matter what. the president starts off with 48, 49, he starts off with a huge number. these are people who pay no income tax. 47% of americans pay no income tax. so our message of low taxes done connect. he'll be out there taking about tax cuts for the rich. that's what they sell every four years. so so my job is not to worry about those people. i'll never convince them that they should take personal response and care for their lives. what i have to do is convince the 5% to 10% in the center that are independents, that are thoughtful that look at voting one way or the other depending upon in some cases emotion, whether they like the guy or not. >> all right. we'll be playing more of that tape for you throughout the hour. but let's bring in cnn political director mark preston joining us washington. romney held a late night news conference last night where he tried to explain some of the comments. let's take a listen to part of

what he said. >> you know, it's not elegantly stated, let me put it that way, i'm speaking off the cuff in response taye question. i'm sure i could state it more clearly and in a more effective way than i did in a setting like that. and so i'll -- i'm sure i'll point that out, as time goes on. but we don't even have the question given the snippet there, nor the full response, and i hope the person who has the video would put out the full -- the full material. >> so we'll see if the full material comes out. but i have to say, he does still stand by the message, he say his could have been more clear, more eloque eloquent, but stands by the message. done this hurt the campaign in terms of the feeling among some that he disconnected. if you're president of the united states, you're president of all americans. how badly does this affect the campaign, or does it not? >> talk about it on a couple of different levels. talk about the base republican level. in some ways this might help in

a very small amount, might help mitt romney, poppy, with some of the base voters, with republicans who actually believe this. if you listen to what he says, he is talking about the politics of itting and the fact that the country is split. but it is also very, very, very incendiary language that he uses to make that ex-plan in addition. short term this is devastating. 24-hour news cycle is a 48-hour news cycle warren jeffs mitt romney h-- mitt romney has to answer questions is this going to have a long-term effect. we have 49 days until the election day. is this something that can be a fatal blow to his campaign? we don't know the answer to that yet. but now the romney campaign, poppy, does not want to be talking about this. >> and it's not just that issue of the 47% of americans that don't pay federal income taxes on the surface, that is the correct number, we're going to dig deeper, you have to get far

past the number to understand why that is and we'll do that this hour. but there's also the latino issue that comes up. on that tape that was released talks about romney saying, and he's joking here, but saying, look, i'd have a better chance of getting elected if i was latino. i was born to american parents in mexico. how does that play out long term for him? >> you know, interestingly enough, there's been a bit of a debate over whether latinos would see this, be angry about it. it was a joke, he said it in a joking manner. i have friends who have said that they actually are not upset about that. but of course if you look on social media, a lot of folks are upset. we have the sound if we can listen to it let our viewers hear. >> let's pull that up and play that for our viewers, if we can. >> my dad, you probably know, was the governor of michigan and the head of a car company. but he was born in mexico. and had he been born of mexican

parents, i'd have a better shot at winning this. but he was unfortunately born to americans living in mexico, they had been there for a number of year -- i mean i say that jokingly but it would be helpful to be latino. >> poppy, there you have him talk there. what's interesting about that, it's not what he said, it's how uncomfortable he was in saying it. and i think we heard the uncomfortable laughter in the background. he's not going to win the latino vote, we absolutely know that. for him to win in november he has to chip away at sore constituencies from president obama. one of the core constituencies is the latino vote. >> it's supposed to be a time where the campaign resets after the comments last week on libya, this campaign refocuses, drives ahead in the 49 days before the election. doesn't this throw the campaign off strategy? >> one of the latest things that

we've seen that has put the campaign spiraling backwards a bit. they came out of the convention, did not get a strong bounce. a story in politico yesterday a well-sourced story, talks about turmoil inside the campaign. we see these videotapes that have surfaced in the last 24 hours. this is not a good time for the romney campaign. there are still 49 days left, though, as we all know in politics, everything can change on a dime, poppy. >> absolutely. this is al of the talk today and tomorrow but that could change in an instant. thanks so much, mark. mitt romney's remarks about half of the country depending on the government and believing they are entitled might sound harsh but the core fact, and i mentioned this earlier, it is true almost 47% of americans pay no federal income taxes. still, the numbers do not tell the whole story whatsoever. christine romans from the money team takes a closer look at who isn't paying and more importantly, why. >> how could it be that nearly half of the country pays no taxes, as governor mitt romney

claim? if you're talking about federal income tax he's right. 46.6% of households pay no federal income tack. who are nonpayers? working, nonelderly. those not paying federal income tax two-thirds pay a payroll tax. that's used to fund social security and medicare. how hani people are pay nothing federal income and no payroll tax? 18% of households. why? america's tax code is 16 volumes of loopholes and tax breaks, credits for low income earners, and bush era tax cuts. many households end up with no tax bill or in some cases a payment from the government. those believe they are entite told health care, food and housing, since the great recession record numbers of americans have fallen into the

safety net. 26% on medicaid, 15% food stamps, 8% use wic, 4% housing assistance, and 2% have temporary aid for needy families. that's not counting unemployment benefits 99 week for the long term, 61 million americans receive social security checks, 49 million enrolled in med kashg the government-run health insurance program. half of american families receive some -- >> there's more to those numbers than just that 47%. keep that in mind. both mitt romney and president obama say they're concerned about the middle class and there's reason to be concerned. there's a new study out, just released today by the consumer federation of america, what it shows is a lot of you are feeling the middle class is losing ground. 2010 the typical middle class family had asset of $23,300 a year compared to $27,000 in

2007. two-thirds admit making within really bad financial decision. the average cost of that bad decision, $23,000. most say they do have the able to make good or excellent financial decisions. president obama will make a swing through new york city tone for a celebrity fund-raiser. singer beyonce plays host to the president at her husband and rapper jay-z's club. like mr. obama's previous fund-raisers one will have more than just high rollers. the campaign invited people who made small doughtati donations y fluff to win a ticket in a ralph. here's what we're working on this hour. >> hey, hey. >> no school for a seventh day in chicago. striking teachers consider a tentative proposal. even parents supporting them are getting upset. all talk about what's holding up the deal with the head of the chicago teachers union. >> a female suicide bomber

drives a car packed with explosives into a van. killing 12 people in afghanistan. what the taliban say is the reason for the attack. new report on obesity in america shows how many americans are going to be obese in 20 years. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] at&t. the nation's largest 4g network. now covering 3000 more 4g cities and towns than verizon. at&t. rethink possible. try this... bayer? this isn't just a headache. trust me, this is new bayer migraine. [ male announcer ] it's the power of aspirin plus more in a triple action formula to relieve your tough migraines.

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[ male announcer ] now get 50% off brake pads and shoes at meineke. in chicago, it is the seventh day with kids not in the classroom. the school teachers strike continues. 29,000 members of the teachers union still on strike in days after a tentative agreement struck between the union and the city we're still seeing this. >> chicago is a union -- >> delegates expected to vote on the agreement in the next couple of hours. actually 2:00 eastern time. the city says it will go back to court tomorrow to force an end or try to force an end to that strike if the dispute is not resolved today. hearing from other voices who want kids back in school. on the ground in chicago covering for us throughout the weekend. you've been talking to parents over the past few days and their

sentiment has changed, hasn't it? >> reporter: well, you can't blame them because the longer this goes on, the harder it is to come up with alternatives, the harder it is for parents to take a few days off and perhaps have to stretch it longer. of course, parents are starting to re-evaluate how they feel about this. we have spoken to parents who stay behind the teachers but we are seeing a sentiment shift. last night we sat down with parents, a small group, who say they're definitely starting to shift in their opinion of the strike. here what happens one parent told us. >> parents need to get out there and have their voices heard. we need to get the children back in school. bottom line, it's as simple as that. if parents sit on the sidelines the pressure's off and there's no sense of urgency anymore. we're going to just keep delaying this. we have got to turn up the heat and parents have got to speak up and we have to end the strike

and get students back in school. >> last week she said she was much more behind the teachers union. today it's a bit of a different story. >> give us a sense of the time line here. if the vote turns out today that the delegate, 800 teachers will vote, not the entire union, if they come back and vote to end the strike, how quickly could that mean kids back in the classroom? >> reporter: essentially, kids could be back in school tomorrow. and that's really what parents are hoping, that the strike will be over and they can get back into the classroom. but let's look at the flip side of it. let's say this 800-member union delegate group decides we want to go back to the bargaining table. it forces negotiators on the part of the union back to the negotiating table with the school district to go over points that the teachers are concerned with. so we're not back to square one if that happens but they may be back at square 1.5. >> obviously we'll monitor that throughout the afternoon, that

meeting in less than an hour. kyung, thank you. a spoke with karen lewis at center of all of this, folks. she's head of the chicago teachers union. i asked her if she believes today's vote would be able to get teachers back to work and kids back to school as early as tomorrow. >> i certainly hope so. but again, we have a democratic process here and that is unusual for most unions. it is not my job to tell people what to do. it is my job to listen and to represent their voices. and that's what we've been doing all along. >> the issue comes that if the teachers do not vote to go back to school tomorrow to end the strike, then it could be in a judge's hand. mayor rahm emanuel has taken this to cook county, take continue to the courts and asked them to hear it. the judge did not hear it yesterday but will take the issue up tomorrow, if necessary. and will vote on whether or not it's illegal and whether or not the teachers need to go back to

school. what's your view on it at that point in terms of putting it in a judge's hands? >> well, clearly it's not an illegal strike. if it were an illegal strike, the judge -- cps would have gone to see a judge over a week ago. so clearly it's not an illegal strike. i think this is just the frustration on part of the mayor who was expecting students to go back to school on monday and that did not happen. >> so you're willing, you're fine if it does have to go into a judge's hands, you're willing to see it go that far? >> well, again, it depends on what the membership makes a decision. i think again, if that's what our membership speaks to, that's what will happen. but we're certainly not afraid of the mayor and we're not afraid of judges. we know that what we have done up to this point is to focus the energy of the city towards

looking at what really makes schools better. we are very concerned about that. and we want to be a part of the process. >> the tension between you and mayor rahm emanuel is something that has been highly publicized throughout this debate. if you were in a room with mater right now, now that you do have language on the table what would you say to him? >> you know, i haven't even thought about that. >> really? >> i think people personalize this because it's easier to do. it's easier to say this is something between the mayor and me, and i don't feel that way at all. the mayor and i have way more in common than we have not in common. so you know, i would hope the mayor cares about good schools. we care about good schools. we have some ideological differences and i think that hopefully somebody will be able to bridge those differences. >> suicide bombings killed more than a dozen people in afghanistan just today.

the taliban pointing to the anti-islam movie clip on youtube explaining why a female suicide car bomber drove a car packed with explosives into a van. [ woman ] it's 32 minutes to go time, and the candidate's speech is in pieces all over the district. the writer's desktop and the coordinator's phone are working on a joke with local color. the secure cloud just received a revised intro from the strategist's tablet. and while i make my way into the venue, the candidate will be rehearsing off of his phone. [ candidate ] and thanks to every young face i see out there.

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new fallout from the notorious film that insults the prophet muhammad. al qaeda's affiliate in north africa is urging muslims to ramp up protests and to, quote, kill their american ambassadors and representatives. the group is calling the kill of u.s. ambassador chris stevens a, quote, gift, to his, quote, arrogant and unjustice administration. stevens and three others were killed last week in benghazi during protests over that film. today 12 more people were killed in association with that film apparently. this latest attack happened in afghanistan. a suicide bomber slammed a car packed with explosives in a van on the road that leads to kabul airport. a group with ties to the taliban is claiming responsibility. anna coren is kabul and joins us live. first off the fact that this suicide bomber was a female driving a car is rare.

often women aren't allowed to drive in afghanistan. i wonder if that shows a change, a shift in tactics. also give us details to the attack. eight victims were south africans. >> reporter: yeah, that's exactly right, poppy. i think you are spot on. there is a change of tactics that is going on here in afghanistan. certainly seeing much more violence. you mentioned that suicide bomber, 22-year-old woman, she's in fact kabul's first female suicide bomber. there have been other female suicide bombers around the country but never in the capital. she was driving a car packed with 300 kilograms of explosives, rammed into the mini bus carrying eight south africans. when we arrived there were bodies strewn everywhere. to give you an idea of the power of the explosion, the engine block from the car was 100 meters down the road. there were buildings within a kilometer away which had windows

smashed. the power of the explosion was absolutely huge. the group responsible is islamic militant group with ties to the taliban. they're saying it's a direct response to that anti-islamic film. >> i do want to tell viewers the state department came out and said that there were no apparent u.s. victims in this attack. that just coming to us from the state department. another big story is the changing tactics of nato in the region. because 0 the escalating tensions, it seems it's caused nato to adjust its operations with afghan security forces in terms of how many and who they train to prepare for when u.s. and other troops leave afghanistan. what can you tell us? >> reporter: yeah, poppy. this is the cornerstone of this entire mission. you know the coalition u.s. forces handing over control to the afghans so they can stand on their own two feet when the national forces leave here in

2014 but we've seen an uptick on green on blue attacks, afghan forces turning on the coalition troupes that are training them. 51 coalition deaths to date this year. so there's great concern about that. there's great concern about this film. so as a result, they've decided to scale back these joint operations. they've said they'll do it on the higher level, battalion and higher but anything below that afghans have to control. certainly that is the cornerstone to this mission. at the end of the day, poppy, you know u.s. and coalition forces, they are out of here in 2014. and the afghan troops have to stand on their own two feet. >> anna coren reporting for us. great reporting on the ground. family members of the filmmaker linked to that ant anti-isl anti-islam film are in hiding. the sheriff's department escorted them before dawn. the video shows the filmmaker going in for question,

voluntarily for questioning with federal authorities over the weekend. his face is completely covered up. he never went back to that house, sheriffs deputies took the family to meet him at an undisclosed location. mitt romney says if he were born to mexican parents he'd have a better shot of winning the presidency. but many latinos take exception to that. we'll talk to latino political players about romney's comments, one republican and democrat. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life

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mitt romney is standing by miscomment that almost half of americans will vote for president obama because they see themselves as dependent on the government. his remarks were secretly recorded during a private fund-raiser back in may. and the liberal website mother jones posted this video. romney says his comments were, quote, off the cuff but he did not back down from the main

message. >> it's a message which i'm going to carry and continue to carry, look, the president's approach is attractive to people who aren't not paying taxes because frankly my discussion about lowering taxes is not as attractive to them and therefore i'm not likely to draw tem into my campaign as effectively as those in the middle. this is a discussion about the political process of winning the election and of course i want to help all americans, all americans have a bright and prosperous future and i'm convinced the president's approach has not done that and will not do that. >> turning to talk about romney's remarks, those and some others, democratic strategist maria cardona. one of the comments at center of all of this, part of what mitt romney said at the fund-raiser held back in may. >> there are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. all right, there are 47% who are

with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe they are entitled to health care to food, to housing, to you name it. that that's an entitlement. and the government should give it to them. and they will vote for this president no matter what. >> okay. anna, i want to go to you first. when you talk about the position of president, that job is to be the leader of the free world, to be the leader of all american people. when i'm out in the field talking to folks that many support mitt romney, many don't. but the ones that don't, most common thread that i hear is they feel like he's disconnected from them. in those comments we're hearing, look, no matter what i do, 47% of americans aren't going to vote for me. what's your take in terms of a position that is meant to unite the american people? does this hurt him there? >> it hurts him in that sense. it also hurts him in the sense that we're talking about this instead of talking about barack

obama's record or talking about mitt romney's proposals or really litigating some of the issues that should be deciding this campaign. i think it's not a good narrative for mitt romney. but at the same time, is it a death blow to his campaign? no. remember four years ago, barack obama got caught in similar circumstances talking about disda disdainfully people who cling to guns and religion. today he's trying to cling to the votes of the people who cling to the votes and religion in pennsylvania. this shall pass. romney has no choice but to ride it out. did he say it artfully? no. do i agree with what he said? no. do i westeish he said it differently? yes. but this happens in campaigns. sometimes candidates get caught in public and private saying things they wish they said differently. >> here's the biggest problem with what romney said, he said those 47%, it is not my job to worry about those people.

that is not something that you want voters to be hearing, 49 days before an election that you want to win to be president of all of this country where voters are looking for that president to unite them. and let me just say one other thing. republicans have been comparing romney's stapt witement with th statement the president made four years ago. the comments could not be further from each other. barack obama's comments were arrogant and they were misguided and i said it at the time, but if you look at what he was talking about as a whole, he was talking about wanting to help those people that he was saying clung to religion and their guns to bring them in, to persuade them to work with america. i completely different message than what mitt romney was saying where he wants to dismiss half of the country the obama campaign reacting to this quickly with a web ad focusing on comments made at fund-raiser. i want to play you part of it.

>> when you're president of the united states you are president of all of the people. not just the people who voted for you. you've heard the president say so many times, because he deeply believes it, that we're in this together, all of us. >> those were comments from white house press secretary jay carney. now we'll play you the ad. >> they will vote for this president no matter what. my job is not to worry about those people. i'll never convince them. >> wow. >> i felt sick to my stomach. >> i don't like it. >> it shows that he's out 0 of tuch, if they thinks half of the country is feeling like victims. >> victims, i wouldn't say so. i don't think that's part of the american fabric. >> i'm not looking for -- >> anna, you know, for people just seeing that ad and not seeing the full video, we

haven't seen the full video yet, what is the impact like here? is this play out in a 24, 48-news cycle or is this long lasting? it we'll see how much money if any, the democrats put behind that ad. poppy, that's what political advertising is like today. comments taken out of context. we've seen barack obama's context on you didn't build that being used against him. we've seen barack obama's comment when he got caught with an open mike telling the president of russia i'll have more flexibility in a second term. also used against him. these things happen. comments are taken out of context. the lesson for both candidates and all candidates we live in 2012, anything and everything you say will at some point be public so be very careful how you say it, where you say it, to woman you say it because it will come back. >> but, poppy if i could add the reason why this is damaging for mitt romney other than just a

simple comment taken out of context it reinforces everything that voters already feel about mitt romney. >> i do want to play you some sound that comes from republican national committee chairman rance priebus who talked about this on "the situation room" with joe johns yesterday and made an important point about the big picture here. listen. >> i don't have numbers in front of me but clearly what we do have, very clearly, is a government and a society here in this country that is becoming dependent. this is something advertised by barack obama himself on his own website when they came out with the life of julia push over the summer. it is a choice election between what type of country you want to have and i can guarantee you that the american dream was not built upon the life of julius society advertised by barack obama.

>> this is a bigger picture question of what kind of government and where you think the role of government is in society. how much a role government services should play in people's lives. he addressed the big picture there. >> you know, i think we could go back to the biblical paraable, if you want. this is not about giving folks fish. it's about teaching them to fish. i think most of us would like folks to be able to have the opportunity to make it on themselves. i think most people would like to be able to make it on themselves. it's a small minority who would like to be dependent on the government. i don't like that narrative. i don't agree with the narrative. when you say 47%, a lot of those people are people that are not dependent on the government, don't want to be dependent on the government. but we have an administration that's had a high unemployment number, we've had an administration that's had economic distress for four years. a lot of those people are victims of this situation, of this economic distress.

>> anna, thank you so much. we're out of time. thank you both for joining us. >> thank you. occupy wall street protesters marked the first anniversary of the movement that was yesterday with more protests in new york. dozens were arrested. but what's happening with the movement today. that is the big question. what did it achieve? i'll talk to an activist at the center of the movement. americans are always ready to work hard for a better future. since ameriprise financial was founded back in 1894, they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future. ♪

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the occupy movement turned one year old and police arefed

more than 180 people on streets of new york monday. take a look at video. i was there. looks familiar, right? similar to what we've seen play out the last year. we've got used to seeing scenes like this last fall, the movement at its pinnacle. is the movement relevant one year later? i want to bring in an occupy activist in new york. i was with you last week in brooklyn, one of the spaces you are currently working. but i want you to address some of the criticism that joe nocerra brought up this week. and this is what he said. i'll read it. occupy wall street simply would not engage with a larger world. believing that both politicians and corporations were corrupt it declined to dirty its hand by talking to anyone in power. the point, he said why has the tea party arguably in his mind been more successful than occupy? he says it's because the tea party was willing to engage with those people. what is your response to that?

>> well, joe is absolutely right that we have targeted both wall street and washington as really the cause of our economic downturn. but where he's wrong is in saying we haven't engaged with that larger audience. in fact, it's actually the politicians in washington who've really sidestepped and distracted from the major issues affecting low income and hard working people today. and occupy wall street that's been open to continuing and growing that dialogue and really turning, escalating a campaign of direct action in order to engage the 99% and really the 100% of people who want to see a different future, a more promising future. >> give me a sense of how you guys have engaged with those in positions of power. have you sat down? i've been covering you closely over the past year. have you had one-on-one meetings with some leaders of the top banks or top leaders in

washington? >> well, listen, this is a young movement. we're only 1 year old. we haven't been able to have all of the changes in just that one year. but what we are doing is beginning smarter. we're getting more strategic. and so in our second year, as we strategize and move in a new direction, we're going to begin to look at short and long term change, both within the system and outside the system. as we've seen in histories effective in creating change. >> the occupy movement has formed what you're calling affinity group, smaller groups focusing on student debt. andrew ross sorkin called the movement a fad and his biggest point of criticism you guys get hurt by others involved in the movement that aren't focused on issues that are just there to frankly make a lot of noise. does that detract from the movement and the message and what you work every day for? >> listen, what -- where we stand now, four years since the economic crisis, everybody in this country has been affected

some way by this downturn. now we're opening up to seeing that the real cost of this so-called economic recovery has been more crony capitalism, more corruption in government, more attacks on working people. so people are taking to the streets. they're waking up. they're getting over the cynicism, the an think, and they're rising up. occupy wall street as a movement exists in order to bring that -- that concentration, that focus, on the real root problem which is the corruption, corporate greed on wall street, into the mane stream and it's done that incredibly effectively in this past year. in our second year we'll only get smarter. >> it's brought the 99%, 1% in the lexicon. the question now is action. we'll be following closely as we have been. thank you, justin. mexican prisoners escaped near the texas border. a woman who may have unknowingly helped out prisoners.

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and the candidate's speech is in pieces all over the district. the writer's desktop and the coordinator's phone are working on a joke with local color. the secure cloud just received a revised intro from the strategist's tablet. and while i make my way into the venue, the candidate will be rehearsing off of his phone. [ candidate ] and thanks to every young face i see out there. [ woman ] his phone is one of his biggest supporters. [ female announcer ] with cisco at the center... working together has never worked so well.

it's time for the help desk. focusing today on mutual funds. >> joining me this hour to talk about it, donna risato and ryan mack. >> what kind of mutual fund should i invest? >> it's a broad question. she's got a good point. so many out there. >> there are a lot of different mutual funds. first thing make sure you have a no load mutual fund new york commission. >> fees. >> for every commission driven mutual fund i can find five that give you a good return. the portfolio manager has been there for at least five years. >> but they have a morning star rating or something, right? >> morning star, make sure it has four, five stars. and expense ratio, 1. 5% or less. >> expense is more important than anything else. if you -- if you look over time

the impact how you save and earn, it's expenses of the firm versus performance of the fund. >> what about switching out of funds into others, every few months or years? stick with it? >> might not have to pay a commission but pay a brokerage fee depending where you invest in. all of that turning causes money, what you're doing is not allow allowing yourself is the dollar cost average to stay in the funds for the longer period of time. >> i think having an index fund which tends to be much lower cost and will cover a lot is probably the best bet. >> you can buy the entire market with one investment. diamonds and what not. >> if you have a question you want our experts to tackle, we bring them on every week, upload your question as a video on ireport.com. almost half of americans may be obese within 20 years. that's the assessment of a new report. we're going to take a look at steps the government has taken to solve that problem.

that's next. ally bank. why they have a raise your rate cd. tonight our guest, thomas sargent. nobel laureate in economics, and one of the most cited economists in the world. professor sargent, can you tell me what cd rates will be in two years? no. if he can't, no one can. that's why ally has a raise your rate cd. ally bank. your money needs an ally.

well, americans are getting fatter. that's according to a new report out that says almost half of all americans will be obese by the year 2030. that's every state in the nation with at least a 44% obesity rate. that will mean millions of new cases of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen is here to talk about it. looking at the study, it also said the adult obesity rate could go over 60% in 13 states by 2030. and not to mention, we can't afford it as a nation in terms of health care.

>> right. this is extremely expensive. it is a preventable thing. we could be preventing this. so let's look at where it is the worst. it is in the south, mississippi is projected to have the worst increase. i should say these are projections and forecasts which are always a little tricky, just to acknowledge that. in mississippi, in 2011, the obesity rate was 35%. in colorado, the lowest obesity rate as a comparison, it was 21%. fast-forward to 2030, that mississippi 35% rate becomes 67%. that colorado 21% rate becomes 45%. so those are huge jumps on both ends of the spectrum. >> it is interesting when you talk about how this gets political, everything gets political less than 50 days out from the election. we saw mike bloomberg getting that ban on the big, big sodas passed, that was politically controversial. now what about on the national stage? what are the candidates proposing to do to solve this epidemic of obesity? >> obama in 2010 passed a law that mandated that schools do

better lunches, more nutritional, less fat, less sodium, all of that. his wife has the lets move campaign. romney diabete have anything on his website about what he would do for obesity, a huge public health threat. we reached out to his campaign to ask what he would do to fight this epidemic and they did not reply to our e-mails. we did find in 2007 he said something interesting. he said he's all for healthier school lunches. he believes that's the right thing to do, but he said very clearly, i think our states should do that. i don't want the federal government to be mandating what's done in school. so he takes issue with obama passing a federal law. >> no surprise there, he wants the states to handle it. something has to be done. that's for sure. those are incredible disturbing numbers. >> they are. >> thanks. appreciate it. mexican prisoners escape near the texas border. we'll tell you about a woman who may have unknowingly helped out a prisoner. [ male announcer ] if you stash tissues

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well, listen to this, more than 130 mexican inmates escaped from a prison near the texas border. it happened across the border from eagle pass, texas. police have blocked roads leading into the u.s. -- leading into the u.s. authorities say the inmates escaped through a seven-foot long tunnel that started inside of a prison workshop, just like the movies. then they cut through a chain link fence and they took off. pretty wild story. well, "cnn newsroom" continues now with my good friend brooke baldwin. >> poppy harlow, good to see you in studio. i'm brooke baldwin. a lot to get to including this. no one is jumping ship. as mitt romney arrived in utah, several leading conservative thinkers are wringing their hands today as mitt romney's

private remarks about american voters, he's writing off nearly half of the country, 47% to be precise, as self-described victims and dependents of the state. well, let me quote some folks for you. arrogant and stupid. that's the assessment of mitt romney's remarks by william kristol, leading conservative thinker and founder of "the weekly standard." he goes on, quote, romney seems to have contempt not just for democrats who oppose him, but tens of millions who intend to vote for him. david brooks, conservative voice of the new york times wrote that this morning denouncing romney's secretly taped musings as country club fantasy. so just so we're all on the same page here, here is mitt romney, secretly recorded. this was last may at a $50,000 a plate fund-raiser, in boca raton, florida. take a look. >> there are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what.

all right. there are 47% who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, you name it. but that's an entitlement. and the government should give it to them. and they will vote for this president no matter what. >> so the magazine mother jones posted that clip, plus more of romney's private remarks yesterday afternoon. fast-forward to last evening, romney appeared at a previously unscheduled news conference where he took three questions, all about the secret recording. he said his remarks were off the cuff. he conceded they were inelegant, his word, but he did not back down from the thrust of what he had said, which included the observation that he never convinced this 47% to, quote, take personal responsibility and care for their lives. quote, my job, said romney, is not to worry about those people.

here is what white house jay carney responding late this morning. >> when you're president of the united states, you are president of all of the people, not just the people who voted for you. you've heard the president say so many times because he deeply believes it that we're in this together, all of us. >> want to bring in cnn's jim acosta, he's helping us cover the romney campaign, he's live in salt lake city for me where romney has the first two of fund-raisers today. question number one to you, jim acosta, does the romney camp view because of this story, are they in damage control mode? >> reporter: i think that's safe to say, brooke. we can report that mitt romney is at a fund-raiser, or on his way to a fund-raiser right now and it is interesting to note, it might be one of the days most interesting ironies that this fund-raiser is open to cameras, they're allowing the press for the first time to bring a video

camera into the fund-raiser to record what mitt romney has to say, so we should get some kind of sense as to whether or not he's going to talk about this controversy in about an hour or two from now when we start getting a readout on what he says of that fund-raiser. but, yes, brooke, i think it is safe to say last night when he held that hastily arranged news conference, they gave the press about 15 to 20 minutes advance notice of the news conference, a lost the reporters did not make it to that press conference. some of them were coming in from dinner or workouts and, you know, in shorts and flip-flops and that sort of thing. so this just goes to show you how fast moving all of this is happening right now. and just a few moments ago, we got off the romney campaign plane here in salt lake city, kevin madden, one of his top aides, came to the back of the plane to brief reporters on basically the day's developments and he declined to say whether or not romney is watching these clips as they come out. as you mention the, there is a clip that came out yesterday. we know mitt romney watched that video as he was receiving his first intelligence briefing at the fbi building in los angeles.

but then there was that mother jones video that came out overnight. we don't have a sense as to whether or not he's watched that video yet, but his campaign has said that the comments he made in that mother jones video regarding israel are consistent with what he has said before. i asked kevin madden at one point, do you think all of this is going to blow over? and, brooke, his comment was, depends on you guys. talking about us. >> i'm curious, you clarify one of his remarks. one thing he didn't touch on last night, let me play part of the clip and i'll ask you the question on the other side. you talk about the news conference thrown together, media numbers in shorts and t-shirts. >> it is not elegantly stated. let me put it that way. i'm speaking off the cuff, in response to a question, and i'm sure i could state it more clearly and in a more effective way than i did in a setting like that. and so i'll -- i'm sure i'll point that out as time goes on.

but we don't even have the question given the snippet there, nor the full response, and i hope the person who has the video would put out the full -- the full material. >> so in, you know, talking to folks in the back of the plane, just curious if he clarified at all his comments he made about had his parents been mexican, that perhaps his electability would be up. has he clarified what he meant by that? >> reporter: he has not clarified. as a matter of fact, one of our political producers, rachel streitfeld, was in the room last night and tried to throw that question at mitt romney. he did not respond to that question. that is obviously they have not been able to respond to everything that was captured in that footage. but we should also note, you know, you heard mitt romney there in that played, he hopes, he wishes that they would put the full recording out there. mother jones has said they'll be putting out the full video sometime this afternoon. so we're going to get a sense at

some point later today, brooke, as to what was said, in its entirety, at that fund-raiser, in florida, and also the questions as well. so we don't hear how the questions were asked. we're going to hear how the questions were asked. and we're going to hear how mitt romney responds. it should be pretty interesting to watch. >> and here you and i were just yesterday talking, at the hispanic chamber of commerce event where mitt romney was talking around this time yesterday. finally here, jim, you talk about timing, here we are, still counting 49 days until november 6th, the timing isn't great for the romney campaign to have to explain these remarks that, you know, yes, they were made last may, but just as you were explaining yesterday, the romney team is trying to reboot his campaign, are they not? >> reporter: that's right. that's what they were saying yesterday morning, that they were sort of retooling his economic message and that was a big reason why they were having this speech out in los angeles and obviously there is also the irony that he was reaching out to hispanics the same day that a

videotape was coming out, showing him wishing he were latino, because that might improve his political prospects. i think the big problem for mitt romney in all of this is that there are things for liberals to not like here, things for conservatives to not like here. obviously if there are people who are perhaps in the middle and thinking about voting for mitt romney but on government assistance, does that perhaps sway them in some way? obviously there are people who voted for mitt romney who receive some sort of government assistance. if you are among people who receive social security and medicare into the 47% figure, we heard some conservatives say that, obviously there will be people who say, wait a minute, people pay into social security and medicare over the course of their lifetime, how does that make them moochers on the federal government? that's a big problem for mitt romney, because he spoke off the cuff, acting like a political analyst, if you will, he has a lot to explain for here. i think that's why you'll see mitt romney perhaps getting more press conferences as the days go on. we do know he's going to be

don't an doing an interview with a rival network this afternoon, hint hint, one he typically goes to when he finds himself in these situations, so we'll find him talking about this as the afternoon goes on. >> two hours from now. jim acosta for us in salt lake city. if you hear any more clarification, we'll pop you back on camera. the 47% number, we're working the numbers at cnn, we'll fact check that number for you later on in the show. is that an accurate number? we'll talk to a republican strategist, a consultant, talking about if anything what romney needs to do to recover from this. that's coming up. let's talk weather, specifically severe weather taking aim at the east coast with the risk for tornadoes, washington, d.c., philadelphia, new york. wow. that's a colorful map. >> all the way down to florida. >> wow. >> this is the entire east coast. let me tell you now, a five-minute f-1 tornado and 75-mile-per-hour wind gust in kansas and oklahoma is just

another tuesday. but this is not just another tuesday because of where it is going to be hitting. it is going to be hitting the big cities up and down i-95, new york city, washington, d.c., down to the carolinas. we have big weather here. these big red boxes are already tornado watch boxes. i don't expect kansas, texas sized tornadoes. maybe small ones. but if it is in a populated area that's the rub. even at 85-mile-per-hour storm like we saw in queens last couple of weeks, that's a big story if it is in the city. here is washington, d.c. some wind gusts through cull pupper now heading to the d.c. metro area, probably an hour, hour and 15 minutes. northern virginia will get it first. scranton, syracuse, watch boxes for the potential for tornadoes. and then i did mention all the way down to florida. brooke, we talked about this yesterday how the shuttle didn't get to fly because the weather was so bad. it is not going anywhere today. >> you called it yesterday, said not today, not tomorrow, perhaps wednesday we'll be talking about "endeavor" in l.a. chad myers, thank you very much.

what a busy news day it is here for this tuesday. got a lot more to cover for you, including this. >> more than 100 inmates are on the run after an escape near the u.s. border. and now there are suspicions this could have been an inside job. i'm brooke baldwin. the news is now. the race to save a u.s. ambassador. >> he got a code blue call. patient arrested, needs resuscitation. >> cnn investigates what happened in chris stevens' final moments. is one of america's biggest cities deals with violence, a teacher strike, chicago star basketball player breaks down. >> all this stuff is going on in this city. and 70,000 troops still in afghanistan, cnn breaks down each candidate's position on the war's future. now, that's what i call a test drive.

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the town is pidres nedres mexico, across from eagle pass, texas. that, just geographically speaking, is a huge concern. mexican authorities are blocking roads that lead into the u.s. as they search for the escapees. u.s. customs and border patrol agents are on alert. we have nick parker joining us live from mexico city to talk about this. we also have thomas herrara on the phone, he's the sheriff of maverick county, texas, just on the other side of the border. so welcome to both of you. nick, i want to begin with you, because we know the local police and the feds, they're looking for all these guys, 132 of them. the prison they broke out of is considered minimum security. so what really is the threat here? >> well, it is the name of the prison is a social integration center. but don't let that title fool

you. that is a term applied to most prisons in mexico, except prisons that are extremely high security. so it is a fairly significant prison. and if you take a look at the numbers of the people that actually escaped, of the 132 escapees, 87 of them have been charged or being held on federal crimes, which are actually obviously serious crimes. and if you look at the authorities, their reaction, the government has sent in a unit of special forces last night, which is joining the marines and the army and the police that are spanned out over the area to try to track them down. we're expecting a report from the interior ministry in the next hour or so, an update on that. they're taking it very seriously. >> special forces, army, police. also, nick, you read about the details, these guys crept through a one by one through the seven foot-long tunnel, cut through a fence, crossed an open lot, not a single one of the inmates got caught. is anyone inside the prison in

trouble over this? >> well, the short answer is yes. authorities were alerted to this break yesterday afternoon around 3:25 or so. when they got to the prison, they were told by the prison director that 132 people had escaped, he told them that morning they had done a roll call and there had been full attendance present at that time. subsequently the prison director has been held in custody by authorities along with two other prison officials. so certainly they're going to be investigating that particular angle. and it is not obviously the first time that we have seen this kind of mass prison break during the administration of president calderon, in a border town we saw 151 prisoners escape. in that case, 41 prison guards were charged for aiding and abetting. >> nick, thank you. let me bring in sheriff herrara. sheriff, just off the top here,

are you nervous? >> well, kind of, but we'll survive. we have got this border pretty well secured. we have security at the border here in maverick county. we have approximately 80 some odd miles of border that borders the united states and mexico. we're working together with border patrol, dea, all the local state and federal law enforcement agencies. we patrol the whole area of the county last night and all through the day, and so far, we have had not any reports from our citizens with activities during the night and the day. i guess they're all staying on the other side. i was kind of looking forward to maybe if there were some u.s. citizens that would try to get into the u.s. side to get out of mexico, but apparently that had not been the case. i remember several years ago we

had an incident where they had an escapee of a local jail, inside the city, and two citizens and they were apprehended as they crossed into the united states by border patrol agents. >> okay. sheriff, let me jump in, because, you know, if i live in maverick county, would be wondering my gueoodness should be opening my door to a stranger right now. you say no one has come over from across the border. this is one of our affiliates in your neck of the woods reported this morning. take a listen. >> last night around 9:00 we talked to a police officer here in eagle pass who told us on the north end of the town, a woman got a knock on the door, she went and answered and it was three men who asked her for clothes and water, so she obliged, gave them what they wanted, and they said thank you and moved on. and at that point she realized it could be those inmates. the police department is

investigating that. >> that's a could be, sheriff, could be the inmates, could be anyone. but what are you telling people in eagle pass, maverick county, what is your message to them? >> somebody knocks on the door to be on the lookout, look through a window, and if they see somebody they don't know, call the sheriff's office or the police department, border patrol right away. don't open the doors to no one. >> okay. 132 inmates out. 87 as nick pointed out, 87 on federal crimes. sheriff thomas herrara, thank you and nick parker in mexico city. my thanks to you both. now this -- >> well, all this stuff that's going on. >> as hundreds of thousands of kids are still out of school in chicago, the city's star basketball player breaks down. we'll play the video for you next.

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if you watch enough basketball, you probably know who this guy is, derrick rose, the chicago bull league mvp last year. bouncing back from a serious knee injury. he was at this media event for his new sneakers. instead of actually pitching his

shoe, he poured out his soul about his city, stricken by teachers on strike, and shootings on the rise. he actually broke down, not over how bad it may seem in his hometown, but the how good life has been to him as a kid who grew up in one of chicago's most violent neighborhoods, that being englewood, and it all started when this interviewer asked him last week about being an inspiration to his fans. watch. >> it is truly a bless iing. with all this stuff is going on in this city, a kid from englewood got something positive going on, that makes me feel so

go good. this shoe is great. all this is great. but i can't explain this. i can't. going through so much, and to have, like, true fans, that means a lot to me. and i know it means a lot to my fami family. we're not supposed to be here at all. but god made the way. this is truly unreal. i'm just happy that i have true fans out there. >> how about that? rose says he's been praying for chicago students. this is his tweet, quote, i don't like the fact that our

kids are not in school. that's the only thing we have to save these kids. speaking of the school system in chicago, it is day number seven of no school for chicago students. and this afternoon teachers union delegates, they're meeting to discuss a possible, possible settlement. school officials went back to court yesterday to ask a judge to declare the strike illegal and order the teachers back to work, but a judge won't even be able to hold the hearing on that until tomorrow. chicago teachers union president karen lewis weighed in on the legal action. >> well, clearly it is not an illegal strike. if it were an illegal strike, that -- the judge -- cps would have gone to see a judge over a week ago. so clearly it is not an illegal strike. i think this is just the frustration on the part of the mayor who was expecting students to go back to school on monday. and that did not happen. we are certainly not afraid of the mayor. we're not afraid of judges.

we know that what we have done up to this point is to focus the energy of the city towards looking at what really makes schools better. we're very concerned about that. and we want to be a part of that process. >> and the teachers strike is so, so large, it could affect national economic statistics including the labor department's monthly jobs report, the strike's timing is so key because it coincides with the period in which the government collects all the data. and so september's report could look far worse if the strike in chicago continues. question, how crazy is our news cycle? if you're watching something else last night instead of, say, the news, you pretty much missed the evolution of the infamous mitt romney video including mitt romney's impromptu news conference at 11:00 at night. was that a good idea? that's next. ♪

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boy, oh, boy, the mitt romney fund-raiser videos have the political world abuzz. videos that -- want to talk about all this with howie kurtz, host of cnn's "reliable sources and washington bureau chief for "newsweek" and the daily beast. good to see you, howard kurtz. let's begin with this, what is worse here? the specifics of what romney said or the fact that he appears to be saying one thing out on the campaign trail and quite another in front of donors paying 50 grand for dinner? >> i would say the specifics of what mitt romney said about the 47% of americans who he says feel entitled to government benefits and he views them as victims. the fact that it emerged online from a video, surreptitiously recorded and doesn't match in tone what he's saying is the sort of extra spice for the

story, but the -- his own words are the heart of the story. >> it is interesting to watch stories like this, the genesis of the story, breaking sometime around yesterday afternoon and by 10:00 last night, jim acosta telling us, media, you know, reporters there in flip-flops and shorts finding out there is a news conference at 10:00 at night. do you think it wa a good idea to handle it that way -- >> you cut off my skype. >> oh, i can hear you. can you hear me, howie? did we lose you, howie kurtz? okay. we're going to work on this. we have to get this conversation with howard kurtz. let's work on the audio. take a quick commercial break. back in two minutes. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels speeds relief to your worst cold symptoms plus has a decongestant for your stuffy nose. thanks. that's the cold truth!

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where were we? oh, yes, talking about the mitt romney fund-raiser videos with howard kurtz, the host of cnn's "reliable sources," washington bureau chief.

in terms of pr of the story, breaks yesterday afternoon, 10:00 last night, mitt romney throws together the news conference. do you think that was a good call to handle it at the late hour as they did? >> had mitt romney not had a compelling message to do the standard political damage control, after this videotape was being played hour after hour after hour on cable news. fortunately, all he had to say was inelegantly worded but didn't take back the message and looked uncomfortable. it made sense to get into the news cycle before the morning papers and the morning television shows, but i don't think he -- >> what about the timing of the fox news interview. we learned he's talking to fox in half an hour from now. what does he need to say? >> you know what is fascinating about this, fox news barely covered this story, on a couple of news shows, wasn't mentioned in primetime last night, but with romney going to a place he perceives as a favorable

environment, he needs to either take ownership of the remarks and explain why he views, you know, half the country as dependent on the government, why -- he needs to neither defend his remarks in more elegant language, to use his term, or to say, you know what, i screwed up, i didn't mean to put it that way and put it behind him. i don't think he can steer the middle course and make the story go away. >> you know, i tweeted this story out, howie, last night and woke up to all kinds of remarks. one of which was, hang on, brooke, let's go back to 2008 and president obama, a private fund-raiser then, right, talking in san francisco, talking about jobs loss and the economy and this video was recorded telling these donors essentially that rural americans get bitter, these were the then senator's comments, and cling to their guns and religion. tell me how this is different. >> it is similar in that it is an embarrassment because it is words that were spoken behind closed doors that would not

intended to be made public. in this case, this video was obtained by david corn of mother jones, i talked to corn earlier today, he said the source, like his writings, his books, he thinks the person who secretly recorded romney's remarks wanted this out. so there was more of an ideological yaend agenda at wor but similar to obama's 2008 embarrassment over guns and religion in that it is a story that the candidates in this case never intended to be public. but you're talking to a room full of donors in an era of cell phone cameras, you have to act like every syllable you utter could be meant for public consumption. >> like the duchess of cambridge, you can never be sure you're having a private moment in this day and age. >> interesting connection of those two stories. >> something i thought about, just hear on the fly. howard kurtz, thank you very much. quite a story to chew on for

sunday. just into us, this new development, the controversial voter i.d. law saga in pennsylvania. that's next. but one dark stormy evening... she needed a good meal and a good family. so we gave her purina cat chow complete. it's the best because it has something for all of our cats! and after a couple of weeks she was part of the family. we're so lucky that lucy picked us. [ female announcer ] purina cat chow complete. and for a delicious way to help maintain a healthy weight, try new purina cat chow healthy weight.

pennsylvania's highest court sending the controversial voter i.d. law back to the lower court. this is national debate over whether people should show identification before punching the buttens at the booth. i want to go to sarah hoy.

just fill me in. >> good afternoon, brooke. so what we're looking at is, like you said, this is a national story, this voter i.d. law is becoming problematic across the country. here in pennsylvania, it went all the way to the supreme court and now they're kicking it back to the lower court because the problem isoming down to the fact that if people need photo i.d. to vote at the polls for the presidential election, how easy is it for them to get that i.d.? so right now the supreme court is concerned about are they able to get it in a quick and -- a quick manner. they're sending it back to the lower court to make sure that what the law prescribes is being implemented in the proper way and to make sure there aren't any difficulties in getting that i.d. >> so november 6th is 49 days away. is this thing going to get resolved by then? >> well, it looks like it. the supreme is saying the lower court has until october 2nd to come back with an answer.

so i guess we'll wait and see. >> sarah hoye, thank you very much, calling in from philadelphia on the voter i.d. law issue. we have been talking a lot about voter i.d. recently and speaking of politics here, let's go back to the mitt romney videos. they have given us all really this inside look at big money in political fund-raisers. the thousands upon thousands of dollars per plate on either political side, these dinners that bring in big, big money. dan premack, senior editor at "fortune" magazine. we brought you on because we understand that you just got in touch with the guy who hosted that romney fund-raiser, back in may, back in boca raton, florida, who, you know, we're seeing on the videos. his name is mark leader. what did he tell you? >> mark had a statement to fortune which didn't really specifically address romney's comments except he said he's an old friend of mitt romney's, validated, that he believes all americans and their families and parents want children to have a chance to succeed going forward.

he didn't take it -- didn't talk 47% specifically or this issue about self-respect, which romney referred to. >> did he mention anything about cameras? i know this fund-raiser was one from what i understand, one in which cameras are not allowed. were they confiscated at the door? do we know? >> he didn't mention anything about that. to my understanding i don't believe cameras were confiscated at the doors. clearly whoever took this film got one in. my guess and it is really only a guess that there was a statement made and it was an implicit understanding, this was for 40 or 50 people that leder new personally, i can't imagine security frisking people as they came through the door. >> would he even have a clue who it was that got that camera in there and shot this video? >> i wouldn't think so. unless he really remembered where everybody was sitting in the room and was able to really pinpoint. but it doesn't seem that he does. and i don't think he's got a great memory of some of the specifics of it. remember, we're talking about a

fund-raiser over four months ago. and one of three fund-raisers he's thrown plus a fund-raiser for a larger group of people that he threw that same evening at a country club down the street, prior to the dinner. >> mark leder, who exactly is he? what is his background? >>s s . >> he's a private equity executive. he runs sun capital partners which is a legitimately turn around firm. their real job is to buy up smaller companies out of bankruptcy, try to fix them. before that he was a bank we are lehman brothers. the story goes he and his partner while with lehmann went to bain to pitch a deal. they said we want to do what they're doing. they quit lehman and formed their own firm. >> in may it was $50,000 per plate. so, you know, as a donor, if you're going in, you're paying quite a pretty penny to hear from a candidate or a nominee,

just take me inside something like this. what exactly do you expect to hear? how do the candidates normally act? how candid are they? >> i think they're normally probably maybe a little more candid than on the stump. maybe a little bit different. there is a speech that gets given or comments that get given, but give and take and q and a. 47% comment and the issue about israel and palestine, which also made some waves today that was in response to questions. so what you really expect if you're sitting at this fund-raiser is the chance to ask some questions to maybe feel that you're going to get a personal interaction with the guy and when you get $50,000, you expect a certain amount of access. there is a q and a and give and take, like a press conference, except that the candidate doesn't expect that the world is about to see his answers. >> over and over and over again. dan premack, senior editor at "fortune" magazine, dan, thank you. to this 47% number, we have been talking about it, hearing it all day long. we're going to fact check this number for you.

the question is who in america does and doesn't pay taxes. this is a photograph billed as the wealthiest portrait ever taken. look closely. recognize anyone? we'll tell you the story behind this photo. and the candidate's speech is in pieces all over the district. the writer's desktop and the coordinator's phone are working on a joke with local color. the secure cloud just received a revised intro from the strategist's tablet. and while i make my way into the venue, the candidate will be rehearsing off of his phone. [ candidate ] and thanks to every young face i see out there. [ woman ] his phone is one of his biggest supporters. [ female announcer ] with cisco at the center... working together has never worked so well. [ female announcer ] with cisco at the center... energy is being produced to power our lives. while energy development comes with some risk, north america's natural gas producers are committed to safely and responsibly providing generations of cleaner-burning energy for our country, drilling thousands of feet below fresh water sources within self-contained well systems. and, using state-of-the-art monitoring technologies,

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you may think you know what a big pile of money looks like. but i want to show you the real deal. michael, let's show everyone the picture. take a look at this. you are looking at the latest cover of "forbes" magazine. this, my friends, is what $126 billion looks like. this photo is being billed as probably quote/unquote the wealthiest portrait ever taken. i won't name everyone. i know you recognize oprah in the purple, bill and linda gates, warren buffett and jon bon sitting down. this picture was taken in june during the forbes 400 selling on philanthropy. these are affluent folks giving back too. now to a money story of a different sort here. back to the 40% number, the 47% of americans mitt romney spoke about during his secretly recorded remarks. want to play some of that for you and i'll tell you where i'm

going with this. take a listen. >> there are 47% of the people who will vote for the frieze president no matter what. there are 47% who are with him, who are dependent upon the government who believe they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, you name it. it is an entitlement. and the government should give it to them. and they will vote for this president no matter what. >> you heard that, victims, dependent, these xheecomments catching all kinds of political heat today. we wanted to know is he right with the number, 47%. we asked christine romans to crunch the numbers. here is what she found. christine? >> how could it be nearly half the country pays no taxes as mitt romney claimed. according to the tax policy center, 46.4% of households pay no federal income tax. who are these nonpayers, is the elderly, working poor, lower middle class families with children, a few thousand

millionaire families who pay no taxes as well. of those not paying, nearly two-thirds pay a payroll tax, used to fund social security and medicare. how many people are paying no federal income tax and no payroll tax? it is a much smaller 18% of households. why? well, america's tax code written by congress is 16 volumes of loopholes and tax breaks for having kids, buying a home, credits for low income earners and bush era tax cuts for everyone. that's why many households end up with no tax bill at the end of the year or in some cases a payment from the government. of those who romney said, quote, believe they are entitled to health care, to food and housing, here are the numbers. since the great recession, record numbers of americans have fallen into this safety net. 26% are on medicaid. 15% on food stamps. 8% use wic, food aid for women, infants and children. 4% get housing assistance. and 2% have temporary aid for needy families. that's not counting unemployment

benefits. 99 weeks for the long time unemployed. 49 million are enrolled in medicare, the government run health insurance program. in all, census data shows nearly half of american families receive some sort of government benefit. brooke? >> there we have it. thank you. up next, cnn investigates the final moments of u.s. ambassador chris stevens. arwa damon tracked down the very people who dragged him from the consulate in libya. try this... bayer? this isn't just a headache. trust me, this is new bayer migraine. [ male announcer ] it's the power of aspirin plus more in a triple action formula to relieve your tough migraines. new bayer migraine formula.

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walks us through scene by scene. >> reporter: this is the first thing that he says he saw and filmed at the consulate compound. the cafeteria building up in flames. it was shortly before midnight, september 11th. the smoke so thick, the compound's main house is barely visible. and then this. after breaking through a window, men shout they found a body. suddenly one of them cries out. he's alive. he's alive. the crowd cheers. god is great. rushing for a car, they realize it is a foreigner. i was filming the video and i thought it was an american, he recalls. but i thought it was a driver or a security guy, i never thought it was the ambassador. it is clear from the rest of the video that the man they pulled

out was ambassador christopher stevens. he says he was alive, but barely. he had a pulse, and his eyes were moving, he says. his mouth was black from all the smoke. ten minutes later, rushed through the benghazi streets in a civilian's car, the ambassador arrived at the hospital. but it was too late. the doctor tells us he got a code blue call. patient arrested, needs resuscitation. >> no pulse, no breathing. >> reporter: he too did not realize it was stevens. the body was covered in soot, he says. i began resuscitation, but after 45 minutes, the patient gave no signs of life. the libyan government has vowed to bring those who attacked the consulate to justice. but nearly a week later, there are still contradictory accounts

of what happened. the head of libya's national congress says it was a preplanned attack that the government has arrested dozens of people, among them members or sympathizers of al qaeda, and a handful of foreigners. other senior officials say the 50 were merely brought in for questioning, and there is no evidence of an existing plot. what is undisputed is that over the past three months, attacks against western interests in benghazi have increased as has the power of extremist groups. something military officials say they warned the americans about. this young man says he arrived at the compound just as the fire fight began to subside. he says, he didn't see any foreigners, just libyans. members of known extremist militias, bearded, carrying russian made automatic machine gu